All too often, young players (3rd to 6th grade) are easily lost in the relative chaos of a full-court, 5×5 game.  It’s not abnormal for an entire game to go by without a player touching the ball more than once or twice, and when they do get the ball, usually they’ll be in a hurry to make something happen with the rare opportunity.  3×3 lets players work on their game in a competitive environment with more space and more opportunities handling the ball.  It will accelerate their development.

With fewer players on the court, players begin to naturally move without the ball, learning how to effectively cut, set screens, keep appropriate spacing, and make simple read/react decisions.  This process builds on itself, as kids experience one breakthrough after another – again helped by the increased touches and constant action. Additionally, its harder to “hide” on defense.  Players are regularly exposed to fundamental defensive one-on-one and rotation scenarios.  All of this makes it easier for coaches, moms, and dads to…

It seems there’s never enough time to practice, and getting a group of 10, 12, or 15 young kids to pick up critical basketball concepts in a short amount of time is hard to do.  3×3 creates constant game situations that provide effective coaching opportunities.  Coaches aren’t just telling kids about something – they’re teaching as the player experiences the situation.